的话 — "if"
"if" (end of condition)
How to pronounce it
的话 is read de huà: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
The most frequent character in Chinese.
On the left, 讠 “speech”.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “的话”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 的话. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 如果你喜欢的话就买吧rúguǒnǐxǐhuandehuà,jiùmǎibaIf you like it, buy it.
- 不喜欢的话不买就是了bùxǐhuandehuà,bùmǎijiùshìleIf you don't like it, just don't buy it — simple as that.
- 我根本不相信他的话wǒgēnběnbùxiāngxìntādehuàI don't believe what he says at all.
- 他的话很深刻tādehuàhěnshēnkèHis words are profound.
- 他的话未必可靠tādehuàwèibìkěkàoWhat he says isn’t necessarily reliable.
- 别太在意他的话biétàizàiyìtādehuàDon't take what he said too much to heart.
More words from the lesson “Borrow and return”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
What does 的话 mean?
的话 (dehuà) means “"if" (end of condition)”.
How do you write 的话?
的话 is 2 characters: 的 (de) — possessive particle; 话 (huà) — speech, words. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 的话?
的话 is read dehuà. Tones: de — neutral tone, huà — fourth tone. The page has an audio recording.
“"if"” in the lesson “Borrow and return”
This word is from the topic “Shopping and things” of HSK 3. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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